The ATP’s Ricoh Open tournament now flows into the second round and so do our tennis picks. The tour stop at s-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch) in Holland gives players needed opportunities to reacquaint themselves with grass courts. It’s the shortest surface-specific season of the year. It will be done in one month when Wimbledon ends.
On Wednesday, we saw a total of four singles matches happen on the men’s side and three of them ended in straight sets. Bernard Tomic, who is one of the favorites for this tournament, took care of business against Aljaz Bedene in straight sets. He won 6-4, 6-3. We also saw Sam Querrey do the same – with the same scoreline – against Tatsuma Ito. We also saw Stefan Kozlov dispose of Steve Johnson in straight sets, winning 6-3, 6-4. The one match that needed the full three sets was Nicolas Mahut, who topped Paul-Henri Mathieu. Mahut lost the first set 4-6 but ended up winning the latter two 6-1 and 6-4. With that aside, let’s take a look at our tennis picks for Thursday.
David Ferrer vs. Dudi Sela
There is genuine doubt about the outcome of this match, even though Ferrer is the top seed and Sela is an unseeded player. Ferrer has never been a natural on grass. Most of the Spanish tennis players who grow up on clay courts do not become very comfortable on lawns. Feliciano Lopez is the exception which proves the rule. Ferrer probably won’t win this match comfortably, and he might not win it at all. Sela couldn’t possibly hang with Ferrer on a slow clay court, but on a fast grass court, his aggressive game could give his opponent real problems. This feels like a match which will be 3-3 or 4-4 in the third set. Neither player feels like a clear choice. Ferrer is the tested veteran player here, however. He’ll probably find a way to dig it out, but it will be close. Sela is a fighter but Ferrer has the edge in experience, talent and wherewithal at this tournament. You have to lay a little bit of juice but go with Ferrer for your tennis picks here.
Pick: Ferrer in three sets
Daniil Medvedev vs. Adrian Mannarino
This should be a straightforward match. Mannarino is not an elite player, but he has made the fourth round of Wimbledon, and he took Andy Murray to five sets last year at the U.S. Open. He can threaten the top players once in a while. He is definitely capable of doing something noticeable (in a good way) every now and then. The Medvedev tennis name is most known for Andrei, who reached the 1999 French Open final and led Andre Agassi by two sets before losing in five. Daniil Medvedev is just getting started, at number 256 in the rankings. He’s just trying to figure out how to make his way in men’s tennis. Mannarino really shouldn’t have any problem taking care of him and handling whatever he has to offer. This match should not be all that close, so take Mannarino with your tennis picks.
Pick: Mannarino in straight sets
Igor Sijsling vs. Ivo Karlovic
This is a matchup in which you’re likely to see a ton of aces. Karlovic is able to serve huge on any surface, but grass and fast hardcourts obviously make it that much harder for returners to get serves back against him. Sijsling must approach the match the way other players (outside of Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray) must against Karlovic on a fast surface: Hold your serve, bide your time, get into the tiebreaker, and win the tiebreaker. Sijsling could do this, but his margins are small. Karlovic is by no means guaranteed to win these kinds of matches, but when you’ve been in serving contests as often has Karlovic has been, there’s a certain familiarity attached, one which should generally calm the nerves. Expect Karlovic to find the big serves when he needs them in at least one tiebreaker. He’ll probably win with a score of 7-6, 6-4. Karlovic is the better bet for your tennis picks.
Pick: Karlovic in straight sets
